The Puppet Company has announced that it is a finalist in three categories in the Retail Gazette (RG) Retail Excellence Awards – awards that are designed to recognise the very best in the retail sector.
The company has been shortlisted among the finalists in the Brand Partnership of the Year category, while Co-founder & CEO Sue Lockey appears twice: in the Lifetime Contribution and the Women in Leadership categories.
The brand partnership honour is for The Puppet Company’s massively successful collaboration with Hamleys, the world’s most famous toy shop, which included a summer-long magical Hamleys Window One takeover displaying The Puppet Company’s amazing puppets. The collaboration also inspired a number of wildly popular Hamley weekend sightseeing bus tours on select dates in the summer. It was the first time the bus tours had been co-branded with The Puppet Company.
After enjoying the bus tour, attendees could continue the fun at the free weekend in-store puppet shows in the branded Hamleys & The Puppet Company puppet theatre; these shows are a popular year-round event.
Sue Lockey, who co-founded The Puppet Company with her late husband Peter, appears on the shortlist for two awards.
The Lifetime Contribution Award celebrates individuals whose leadership, entrepreneurship and long-term commitment to both their own companies and the industry have helped build successful businesses, strengthen the retail sector and inspire those around them.
The Women in Leadership Award celebrates women who are making a significant impact through their leadership, vision and contribution to their businesses and the wider retail sector.
Sue helped to build The Puppet Company up from a business so small that it could be run from the family kitchen table in 2001 to one that, 25 years later, sells millions of puppets and soft toys around the world. Today it offers retailers over 800 products covering hand puppets, finger puppets, backpacks, soft toys and much more, as well as collaborations with major charities and entertainment brands.
At the same time The Puppet Company has never compromised on safety, quality, high levels of sustainability or the company’s founding mission: the importance of learning through play and having fun – for everyone.
Sue’s work on the award-winning company she helped to create is supported today by her devoted staff, including family members inspired by her example. She remains a highly active representative of the business who also works with and supports charities around the world – and she still utilises her skills as an Early Years Teacher to encourage and help implement positive changes to the curriculum and help children learn through play.
These nominations add to a busy awards year for The Puppet Company, which has already won the 2026 Family Business Award category for the East of England in The Small Business Growth Awards and was also shortlisted in two categories at the Brand and Lifestyle Licensing Awards.
Katy Rugman, Product & Marketing Director and Sue’s daughter, says: “We’re delighted to see our collaboration with Hamleys shortlisted among awards designed to recognise the very best in the retail sector. And of course we’re even more thrilled that, as the company celebrates its first quarter century, Sue’s contribution has been honoured. She has built a thriving and successful business that is proud of its continued strong support for retail. Importantly too, this is something that Sue and we, her children, who are part of the family business, love doing – and something that continues my Dad’s legacy. Above all she continues to build on the roots in education of the company – and its founding motto: ‘have a puppet – have fun!’.”
The RG Retail Excellence Awards are devised and produced by the Retail Gazette, the leading source for free retail news and features, providing commercial analysis, strategic insight, and industry data to the decision-makers who shape UK retail.
The 2026 awards will be presented on the 14th of October at the Underglobe, a spectacular evening events space located at the iconic cultural landmark Shakespeare’s Globe, on the banks of the Thames. Tickets can be purchased here.